Multifunctional ski

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an improved ski which offers many possibilities of use in a wide range of environmental conditions. The inventive ski is bent upwards at both end sections in order to form a tip at both ends. The ski is also provided with a binding plate which can be fixed in a first direction and a second direction to the ski in such a way that the ski can be used optimally in both directions. The body of the ski is thus asymmetrically configured so that said inventive ski is optimally suitable for a wide range of conditions.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a ski, in particular an alpineski, which can be used multifunctionally and which can be adaptedflexibly and optimally to different environmental conditions and/orusers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The prior art discloses so-called carving skis which are waistedso that they have a center section which is narrower than the two endsof the ski. The widths of the skis at the two ends can vary considerablyand generally lie between about 90 and 120 mm, while the center sectionhas a width of about 60 to 90 mm. The two ends of the ski normally havedifferent widths, wherein the width in the front shovel area of the skiis generally larger than that at the end of the ski. However, alsocarving skis having a larger width at the end of the ski than at theshovel area are known.

[0003] The optimum ski shape depends, i.a., on the externalenvironmental conditions, the application and the conditions of the skirun or slope, so that none of the known carving skis offers a versatileuse which can be adapted optimally to the prevailing environmentalconditions and slope conditions.

[0004] DE-C-44 03 499 relates to a cross-country ski, comprising ascale-like running surface profile on its lower surface and across-country binding fixed to its upper surface. For the cross-countryski to be usable in both directions, the two ends of it are bentupwards. Moreover, the binding is constructed such that the ski boot canbe attached thereto in both skiing directions. For this purpose, thebinding can either have two opposite binding jaws for receiving the skiboot or a binding jaw that is arranged such that it can rotate around anaxis extending vertically with respect to the top surface of the ski.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide an improvedski which can in particular be adapted to a wide range of environmentalconditions and/or users. This object is achieved with the features ofthe claims.

[0006] In achieving this object, the invention starts out from the basicidea to bend upwards the two end sections of a ski being asymmetric withrespect to its transverse axis or a ski having positive or negativetapers in order to provide at the two ends ski tips having a shovel, andto attach to the ski a binding plate which can be fixed in at least twodifferent positions. In a first position of the binding plate a firstend section of the ski forms the ski tip, and in the second position theopposite second end section of the ski forms the ski tip. The bindingplate is preferably fixed such to the ski that for both positions anoptimum binding mounting point can be adjusted. To this end, it isparticularly preferred that a rotational axis of the binding plate isarranged such that the binding mounting points are optimally positionedboth in the first position and in the second position. For this purpose,the rotational axis is preferably located in an area between the twojaws of the ski binding that have to be mounted on the binding plate.

[0007] Thus, a ski is provided which can be adapted optimally todifferent purposes, depending on the snow and/or slope conditions oralso depending on the requirements of the skier using the ski. Inparticular, the ski according to the invention is adapted in aparticularly advantageous manner both to normal, e.g. hard and icy slopeconditions, and to skiing in deep or powder snow and mogul fields, aswell as to jumps. A carving ski in which the front shovel is wider thanthe tail end of the ski is, for instance, particularly suitable for“free ride” techniques (carving on and away from the slope), while a skihaving a narrower front shovel area provides better conditions for“freestyle” and “slope style”, in particular for jumps. By means of theski according to the present invention, which can be usedbi-directionally and in which, depending on the rotational position ofthe binding plate, either the front shovel or the tail shovel is widerand moreover the binding mounting point is variable, a ski isconsequently provided which can be adapted optimally to a wide range ofrequirements and environmental conditions. Thus, in the free rideposition the ski provides a maximum lift and a quiet running, e.g., insnow without tracks, due to the wide shovel and the narrower tail end,and in the slope style position the ski provides a better weightdistribution for tricks and more stability during landing of jumps dueto the narrower shovel and the wider tail end as well as due to theshift of the binding mounting point.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Preferred embodiments of the ski according to the presentinvention are exemplarily described in the following with reference tothe drawings in which

[0009]FIG. 1 is a side view of the inventive ski with a binding plate ina first position for a first direction of travel of the ski;

[0010]FIG. 2 shows the inventive ski according to FIG. 1, wherein thebinding plate is fixed in a second position for using the ski in theopposite direction;

[0011]FIG. 3 is a top view of the ski according to FIGS. 1 and 2,wherein an embodiment of the position change of the binding plate isillustrated;

[0012]FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the center section of the inventive skiaccording to FIG. 3 in which an embodiment for mounting the bindingplate on the ski is illustrated;

[0013]FIG. 5 shows a mounting element for fixing the binding plate tothe ski according to FIG. 3; and

[0014]FIG. 6 shows the course of the position change of a preferredembodiment of the binding plate with mounted binding from a firstposition into a second position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The inventive ski 2 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 essentiallycomprises a ski body 4 having a first end section 6 and a second endsection 8 as well as a binding plate 10. In the area of the end sections6 and 8, the ski body 4 is bent upwards in order to form shovel-shapedski tips 12 and 14, respectively. A binding comprising a front bindingelement 16 for receiving a front of a ski boot 17 and a rear bindingelement 18 for receiving a rear section of the ski boot 17 is mounted onthe binding plate 10.

[0016] The ski body 4 of the ski 2 according to the invention isasymmetric with respect to its transverse axis, i.e. the width of theski body 4 is different at the two end sections 6 and 8, which isachieved, e.g., by suitably waisting the ski body in that the center ofthe radius forming the waist is shifted in the longitudinal directionwith respect to the center of the ski length. In the preferredembodiment, the ski according to the invention has an overall length Lof about 180 cm. The maximum width of the ski body 4 at the first endsection 6 is preferably about 111 mm, wherein this width is measured ata distance of about 110 mm from the first ski tip 12. The maximum widthof the ski body 4 at the second opposite end section 8 is about 106 mm,wherein this width is measured at a distance of about 1700 mm from thefirst ski tip 12. At a distance of about 934 mm from the first ski tip12, the minimum width of the ski body 4 is preferably about 75 mm. Theradius of the waisting of the ski body 4 is preferably about 18.57 m.The ski body 4 thus has a waisting due to which the widest sections inthe end sections 6 and 8 have different widths, i.e. the waisting has atapering scale, so that depending on the rotational position of thebinding plate 10 the ski is either wider in the front (positivetapering) than in the back or vice versa (negative tapering).

[0017] The ski 2 according to the invention can be adapted variably to awide range of environmental conditions and users because the bindingplate 10 can be fixed in two opposite directions to the ski body 4. Thismeans that in a first position according to FIG. 1 the front section ofthe binding plate for receiving the front binding element 16 pointstowards the first ski tip 12, while in a second position according toFIG. 2 this front section of the binding plate 10 which carries thefront binding element 16 points towards the second ski tip 14. Formounting the binding plate 10 on the ski body 4, use can be made of anymounting mechanism that is suitable for fixing the binding plate 10sufficiently strongly in the two positions to the ski body 4. However,this mounting means is preferably configured as a quick or snap lockwhich allows the binding plate to be changed from the first positioninto the second position without using any tools. Moreover, it should betaken into account that in the area of the binding plate 10 and thebinding of the ski 2 according to the invention there can be snow or icewhich makes the use of the mounting means more difficult, so that themounting mechanism should be configured such that it also remains usableunder such conditions.

[0018] In addition to the opposite first and second mounting positionsof the binding plate at the ski body 4, the binding plate 10 can also beattached such at the ski body 4 that it is shiftable in the longitudinaldirection. This can be helpful in particular for adjusting the optimumbinding mounting points for the relevant direction of use of the ski 2according to the present invention. In FIGS. 1 to 3 preferred guidingmarks SMM1 and SMM2 for the middle of the boot are shown for the optimummounting points of the relevant direction of travel. For adjusting thetwo mounting points, the rotational point or pivot point should beselected in a suitable manner and/or the binding plate 10 should beshiftable in the longitudinal direction. The binding itself ispreferably also adjustable on the binding plate 10 in the longitudinaldirection.

[0019] A possibility of moving the binding plate 10 relatively to theski body 4 from the first position shown in FIG. 1 into the secondposition shown in FIG. 2 is rotating the binding plate 10 around arotational point 20, as exemplarily shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. According tothis embodiment, the binding plate 10 is fixed to the ski body 4 bymeans of a rotation guiding means 22 so that it can rotate around therotational point 20, and it is preferably fixed to the ski body 4 in anaxially shiftable manner. For this purpose, the binding plate 10 has anundercut guide slot 23, wherein a rotational piece (not shown) mountedon the ski body 4 engages with this undercut. The binding plate 10 canfreely rotate around this rotational piece. Moreover, the binding plate10 comprises at least one, preferably two undercut slots 24 extending inthe circumferential direction. For fixing the binding plate 10 to theski body 4, the ski body preferably comprises two mounting elements 26per slot 24, one of these mounting elements being shown in more detailin FIG. 5. The mounting element 26 comprises a sleeve section 28 and aplate section 30 and can be attached to the ski body 4 by means of athrough hole 32. For being fixed to the ski body 4, the binding plate 10is rotated around the rotational point 20 so that the slots 24 are movedover the mounting elements 26. The plate sections 30 of the mountingelements 26 engage with the undercuts of the slots 24, so that thebinding plate 10 adheres to the ski body 4. For fixing this position,the binding plate 10 has at least one, preferably two holes 34 in thearea of the slots 24. For securing the position of the binding plate 10at the ski body 4, preferably two securing pins (not shown) are insertedinto the holes 34 in such a manner that they are positioned between anadjacent pair (adjacent in the transverse direction) of mountingelements 26, in order to prevent a rotational movement of the bindingplate 10 relatively to the ski body 4. The securing pins themselves canalso be fixed to the binding plate by means of a suitable securingmeans.

[0020] When changing the position of the binding plate 10 from theorientation shown in FIG. 1 into the configuration shown in FIG. 2, thesecuring pin must first be removed, and then the binding plate 10 has tobe rotated around the rotational point 20 and, after a rotation by about180°, it is fixed in the same manner as described above. For thispurpose, the ski body 4 comprises mounting elements 26 at both sides ofthe rotational point 20, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In contrast to theembodiment shown, it is however preferred to provide the mountingelements 26 in such a way at the two sides of the rotational point 20that in both positions they are covered by the binding plate 10.

[0021] The optimum mounting point of the binding plate 10 in therelevant positions can be adjusted by means of the rotation guidingmeans 22. This means allows the shifting of the binding plate 10 in thelongitudinal direction relatively to the ski body 4, so that anadditional variability is given. In this regard it is also possible toprovide further slots 24 in the binding plate 10, so that the bindingplate can be fixed in further axial positions.

[0022]FIG. 6 shows a further, basically similar way of moving thebinding plate 10 relatively to the ski body 4 from the first positionshown in FIG. 1 into the second position shown in FIG. 2. In thisembodiment, too, the binding plate 10 is fixed at the ski body 4 in sucha manner that it can rotate around a rotational axis. For changing thedirection of the binding on the ski, first a locking flap 36 is openeduntil it snaps in, according to FIG. 6A. Thus, the interlocking betweenthe binding plate 10 and the mounting elements 26 is released. Thelocking flap 36 is part of a locking or mounting means 38 by means ofwhich the binding plate 10 is fixed to the ski body 4. The locking means38 preferably comprises a toggle lever mechanism and is spring loaded.After opening the locking flap, the binding plate 10 can be liftedaround a rotational axis 40 provided at the mounting means 38, asclearly shown in the middle representation of FIG. 6B. The binding plate10 is thus lifted from the mounting element or sliding block 26 andsliding sheet 27 provided at the ski body 4 in the direction of thearrow 42 (middle representation of FIG. 6B). The sliding sheet 27preferably serves i.a. for guiding and/or fixing the binding plate 10.In this state according to the lower representation of FIG. 6B, thebinding plate 10 can be rotated around a rotational axis in thedirection of the arrow 44. The rotational connection between the skibody and the binding plate 10 is established via the mounting means 38which is connected with the ski body 4 by means of a rotational axis.The rotational axis is positioned such at the mounting means 38 and theski body 4 that the binding plate 10 and thus the binding takes in bothpositions an optimum binding mounting position, i.e. the center of theboot is in any case in the most suitable position. In a preferredembodiment, the binding mounting point is shifted in the “slope style”position, i.e. narrower shovel and wider tail, vis-à-vis the “free ride”position, i.e. wider shovel and narrower tail, by about 2 to 6 cm,preferably about 3 to 5 cm, particularly preferably about 4.1 cm towardsthe center.

[0023] For limiting the swiveling movement of the binding plate 10around the rotational axis 40, it is also preferred to provide aretention strap 46 whose ends are attached to the binding plate 10 andthe mounting means 38. After a rotation by 180°, the binding plate 10 isagain moved onto the ski body 4 in the direction of the arrow 48,according to the left-hand representation of FIG. 6C. Then the lockingflap 36 is closed, as shown in the right-hand representation of FIG. 6C,so that the binding plate 10 is again fixed. The binding 16, 18 mountedon the binding plate 10 is now in a usable position which is rotatedwith respect to the original position by 180°. The embodiment accordingto FIG. 6 is advantageous vis-à-vis the first embodiment in particularin view of its simplified use and increased stability. Moreover, in thisembodiment of the mounting means all mounting elements are arrangedunder the binding plate 10 independent of the position of the bindingplate 10 on the ski body 4, so that the mounting elements are invisibleand better protected against dirt and ice.

[0024] As an alternative to the embodiment described above, it is alsopossible to provide instead of the rotational mechanism a shiftingmechanism which allows the binding plate 10 to be shifted onto the skibody 4. By means of a quick lock, in such an embodiment the bindingplate 10 can be shifted on the ski body 4 in the longitudinal directionand/or can be removed therefrom and again be fixed in the oppositedirection. According to this embodiment, there is an additionalvariability because the binding plate 10 can be configured such that itcan engage in a plurality of different longitudinal positions.

[0025] The ski according to the invention allows an optimum adaptationto a wide range of environmental conditions and skiing habits of askier, and therefore the ski of the invention can be used much morevariably than normal skis. The inventive construction is particularlyadvantageous because by means of this construction the relatively highforces and moments, which occur in particular during alpine skiing, canbe safely transferred from the binding consisting of the front and rearjaws via the binding plate to the ski, wherein in both directions oftravel of the ski the binding is positioned in the most suitableposition.

1. A ski (2) comprising (a) a first end section (6) and a second endsection (8), both of which are bent upwards; (b) a waisting which isconfigured such that the two end sections (6, 8) have different maximumwidths; and (c) a binding plate (10), which is fixable to the ski (2) inat least two different positions, wherein in a first position the firstend section (6) of the ski (2) forms a ski tip and in a second positionthe second end section (8) of the ski (2) forms the ski tip.
 2. The ski(2) according to claim 1, wherein the binding plate (10) is positionableand fixable to the ski (2) in such a manner that optimum mounting pointscan be adjusted for the two positions.
 3. The ski (2) according to claim1 or 2, wherein the binding plate (10) is arranged such that it isrotatable around a rotational point (20) in order to pivot the bindingplate (10) between the two positions.
 4. The ski (2) according to anyone of claims 1 to 3, wherein the binding plate (10) is displaceable inthe longitudinal direction of the ski (2) and fixable in differentlongitudinal positions.
 5. The ski (2) according to claim 4, wherein thebinding plate (10) is supported at the rotational point (20) such thatit is movable in the longitudinal direction.
 6. The ski (2) according toany one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the binding plate (10) is fixable inthe two positions by means of a fixing means (24, 26, 34; 26; 36, 38).7. The ski (2) according to claim 6, wherein the fixing means comprisesat least one slot (24) provided in the binding plate (10) and extendingin the circumferential direction, at least one mounting element (26)provided on the ski (2) and being insertable into the slot (24), and asecuring element securing the binding plate (10) at the ski (2) in therespective selected position.
 8. The ski (2) according to claim 7,wherein two slots (24) are provided which extend essentially parallelwith respect to one another and through the binding plate (10) in thecircumferential direction and are undercut, the ski (2) comprises fourmounting elements (26), two of which being insertable into each slot(24), and the securing element is insertable into the binding plate inthe longitudinal direction and extends between the two pairs of mountingelements (26).
 9. The ski (2) according to claim 6, wherein the fixingmeans comprises a mounting means (38) which is rotatably hinged at theski body (4), wherein the binding plate (10) is arranged at the mountingmeans (38) in such a way that it is rotatable around a swiveling axis(40).
 10. The ski (2) according to claim 9, wherein the swiveling axis(40) is arranged essentially vertical with respect to the rotationalaxis of the mounting means (38).
 11. The ski (2) according to claim 9 or10, wherein the mounting means (38) comprises a locking mechanism (36)for locking the binding plate (10) at the ski body (4) in bothpositions.
 12. The ski (2) according to any one of claims 9 to 11,wherein on both sides of the rotational axis the fixing means comprisesat least one mounting element (26), wherein in the locked state one ofthe mounting elements (26) engages with the binding plate (10) and theother one of the mounting elements (26) engages with the mounting means(38) in order to fix the binding plate (10) to the ski body (4).
 13. Theski (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the fixing meansis configured as a quick and/or snap lock or comprises a quick and/orsnap lock.
 14. The ski (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 13,wherein only a partial section of the binding plate (10) is connectedwith the ski (2), so that the ski (2) is essentially freely deformable.15. The ski (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein thebinding plate (10) is configured such that front and rear bindingelements (16, 18) are mountable thereon.
 16. A ski (2) comprising: (a) afirst end section (6) and a second end section (8), both of which arebent upwards; and (b) a waisting which is configured such that the twoend sections (6, 8) have different maximum widths; wherein the ski isdimensioned such that it can be adapted optimally to a wide range ofenvironmental conditions and/or skiers.
 17. A binding plate (10) forskis in combination with a mounting means (38), wherein the bindingplate (10) is arranged at the mounting means (38) in a manner swivelablearound an axis and the mounting means (38) comprises a rotational meansfor rotating the binding plate (10) and the mounting means (38) around arotational axis extending vertically with respect to the swiveling axis.